As the market for mobile, off-highway, diesel-driven equipment has matured, the need for engine clutches that are compact yet sophisticated and reliable in operation continues to expand. As interest in such clutches increases, the desirability of clutch products that are easy to integrate into existing machine designs has increased as well. It is most desired that the retrofitting of compact, sophisticated, reliable clutches to existing off-highway diesel engines be easy to effect and with minimal downtime and expense involved.
For nearly a century now, the clutches used for mobile, off-highway, diesel-driven equipment have employed the same friction disc pack geometry. While reliable, such designs have demonstrated limitations including friction plate thickness, thermal capacity, and the inability to be readily rebuilt or refurbished. Moreover, as demands have been made on the sophistication and capabilities of such clutches, it has become desirable to provide a clutch assembly that is compact in design, providing space to accommodate features and capabilities that were previously unavailable.